Blind Isabella wows at concert

The heavenly sounds from the pipe organ inside Donington Church not only impressed flower festival visitors - people were even more astounded when they saw who was sitting at the keys.

Isabella King, whose feet barely touch the floor pedals, is not only just 12 years old, she’s also completely blind.

The young Donington musician was part of a concert at the St Mary and the Holy Rood Church that saw 200 people pack into the building to hear both Isabella and the Coningsby Military Wives perform.

Isabella was first featured in the Spalding Guardian when she was playing A-level piano pieces at the age of eight. She has also played for celebrity musician Jools Holland after her talents were noticed by the manager of the Embassy Theatre in Skegness.

Her mum, Elizabeth, said: “We are very proud of her. When she is playing in the church people can’t always see who is sitting at the organ.

“A lot of people are very surprised when they see how young she is, and even more when they realise she is blind.

“She has been into music since she was a baby and, being blind, she has a perfect pitch.

“She is having organ lessons with the musical director at Boston Stump, George Ford. She has also been on a course at Oundle School and has even played at Kings College in Cambridge.

“She plays very well but being so little she cannot play using the pedals very much.”

The Swineshead Primary School student has already passed her grade five in piano and is currently studying for her grade six.

She played Disney classics on the church organ during the interval at the concert, while the Coningsby Military Choir performed chart music from across the decades.

They also gave a special tribute to ‘the Forces’ Sweetheart’ Dame Vera Lynn, who turned 100 years old in March.